Question

Difficulty: MediumSilent Letters

Match each word on the left with the specific silent consonant sound present in its standard Received Pronunciation.

  • SubtleSilent 'b'
  • ApostleSilent 't'
  • ReceiptSilent 'p'
  • YachtSilent 'ch'

Answer

'Subtle' pairs with Silent 'b', 'Apostle' pairs with Silent 't', 'Receipt' pairs with Silent 'p', and 'Yacht' pairs with Silent 'ch'.
Each word correctly pairs with its unpronounced consonant letter according to standard English phonetic rules: 'subtle' contains a silent 'b', 'apostle' contains a silent 't', 'receipt' contains a silent 'p', and 'yacht' contains a silent 'ch'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the unarticulated letter in 'subtle'.
Pronounced /sʌtl/, the consonant 'b' is silent.
The 'b' following 'u' and preceding 't' in 'subtle' is not voiced.
2
Determine the unarticulated letter in 'apostle'.
Pronounced /əˈpɒsl/, the consonant 't' is silent.
In words ending in '-stle', the letter 't' is omitted in speech.
3
Determine the unarticulated letter in 'receipt'.
Pronounced /rɪˈsiːt/, the consonant 'p' is silent.
The letter 'p' before 't' in 'receipt' remains unpronounced.
4
Determine the unarticulated letters in 'yacht'.
Pronounced /jɒt/, the digraph 'ch' is silent.
The letters 'ch' perform no sound production in 'yacht'.

Key Concept

Identification of unpronounced consonant letters in standard English phonology.
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